then the skies will seem more blue
by splendidlyimperfect
Summary: Sting's getting ready to come out to his Oma, but she's the only family he has left, and she's worried what she'll think about his partners. / **Part of 'i'm with them' series, see profile for links**


"Natsu, I swear to fucking god, if you blue shell me I'm never blowing you again."

Sting grumbled and bumped into Natsu's shoulder, trying to knock the controller from his hands. Natsu grinned, holding the controller over his head and leaning over to press a quick kiss to Sting's head.

"You love my dick, so that's a lie and you know it," he said. A blue shell spun from Bowser's hand and raced down the track after Yoshi. Sting growled, elbowing Natsu in the ribs. "Hey! That's cheating!" Natsu yelped.

"No such thing in MarioKart," Gray commented, leaning against the back of the couch and sipping his beer.

"Gray, stay the fuck out of this," Natsu said, cheering as the shell hit Yoshi and Sting cursed.

"You fucking…" Sting muttered, leaning forward and glaring at the screen. Yoshi recovered from the blue shell and caught up to Bowser, trying to shove Bowser off the track but ending up in the ditch. _"Sohn einer hündin!" _

"Can you believe they're our boyfriends and not our children?" Gray asked Rogue, who had just joined them and sat down on the arm of the couch, watching the match with amusement. He shook his head at Gray, laughing.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Natsu muttered under his breath, thumbs flicking over the controller, desperately trying to keep Bowser ahead of Yoshi. The finish line was in sight when Sting picked up a green shell and Natsu groaned.

"This is karma, babe," Sting said smugly, lining up the shot and knocking Bowser from the path, then sliding past him into first place. Natsu huffed, drifting into third as one of the computers raced past him.

"You're lucky I love you," he grumbled, poking Sting in the leg and setting his controller down on the coffee table. "I'll get you next time."

The Grand Prix trophy screen appeared and Sting grinned, leaning over to kiss Natsu, who pouted but didn't pull away.

"Love you too," Sting said. Then he tipped his head onto the back of the couch and tugged at Gray's sleeve, pulling him down for a quick kiss. "This was the best Christmas gift," he said, gesturing to the new Switch console on the TV stand. "Now I can kick Natsu's ass in HD."

"Hmm, idea," Natsu said, tugging Rogue down onto the couch and snuggling against him. "Next time Gray can blow you while we play and we'll see if you can still beat me."

Sting made an embarrassed sound, flushing a pretty shade of pink, but getting out a flustered, "I'll kick your ass any day and you know it." Gray kissed his cheek affectionately.

A buzzing sound came from Sting's pocket and he pulled out his phone, face dropping into a nervous expression when he saw who it was.

"Hallo, Oma," he said, standing up as he answered the call. Gray raised his eyebrows but Sting shook his head, moving into the kitchen and speaking quietly to his grandmother in German.

The three of them watched Sting's retreating back with matching concerned expressions. None of them had missed the tension radiating from Sting today while he waited for his Oma to call. They were all visiting her for New Year's dinner tomorrow, and Sting had wanted to tell her about their relationship ahead of time instead of springing it on her when they got there.

"You wanna stay?" Gray asked Natsu, reaching out and squeezing his hand. Sting tended to get overwhelmed when everyone focused on him, and they'd found it was easier to comfort him with just one of them at a time. Natsu nodded, kissing both Gray and Rogue before they headed to the bedroom.

When Sting finally reappeared twenty minutes later, Natsu pulled him down onto the couch and snuggled up to him, wrapping around him like a koala. Sting hummed and burrowed into the embrace.

"She's…" Sting sighed, resting his head on Natsu's shoulder. "She's confused." Natsu made a sad sound, knowing that feeling of frustration and disappointment. "She says she wants to meet you guys and everything, but… I mean, she's eighty-nine."

"It's okay," Natsu said, running a hand up and down Sting's back. "She was better with you coming out than you'd thought she would be, remember?" Sting made a quiet sound. "I'm sure once she meets everyone, she'll see how happy you are."

"Yeah," Sting said, relaxing against Natsu. "I just want her to understand." He rubbed his face. "I don't… I don't have anyone else."

Sting had been raised by his Oma after his parents had died when he was six, and Natsu knew that he had always been incredibly close to her. He still drove her to bingo on Sunday afternoons and spent the day with her and her friends, and took her grocery shopping once a week.

"Are we bringing anything?" Natsu asked, gently changing the subject. Sting snorted, shaking his head.

"Nope, she's doing fondue."

"Ooh, cheese or chocolate?" Natsu asked, perking up.

"Yes," Sting replied, smiling and kissing Natsu's cheek. "And meat. We're all going to gain ten pounds, so we'd better not eat anything for lunch." He poked his stomach, sighing. "Pretty sure I've _already _gained ten pounds over the holidays."

"Just makes you more comfortable to cuddle," Natsu said, caressing Sting's sides and kissing his forehead. He ran his thumbs over Sting's hips, one of the places Sting was most self-conscious about his body.

"Mmf." Sting buried his face in Natsu's shoulder, embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks. Natsu laughed softly and leaned back against the couch, nudging Sting until he was straddling Natsu. Natsu ran his hands up and down Sting's thighs, then over the soft curve of his stomach.

"You know I love you just like this," Natsu murmured, leaning up and kissing Sting gently. "I love cuddling you, that's why I've got perma-dibs." Sting let out an embarrassed laugh, rubbing his nose across Natsu's cheek and humming at the gentle touch across his stomach and hips.

Natsu kissed Sting deeper, bringing a hand up to the back of his neck and running his fingers through Sting's hair. "Plus," he murmured, nipping Sting's earlobe, "I can still pick you up and fuck you against the wall."

Sting let out a strangled groan, fingers tightening in Natsu's hair. Natsu pressed kisses down the side of Sting's neck, fingers digging into Sting's hips as he ground up against him.

"That…" Sting gasped, "is… yes. Let's do that. Now."

* * *

"_Hallo, Herzchen!"_ A tiny, white-haired woman wearing a bright blue apron opened the front door and immediately wrapped Sting up in a hug. He was nearly a foot taller than her, but she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oma, you remember Rogue?" Sting grabbed Rogue's hand and pulled him inside, and Oma's smile widened as she kissed Rogue's cheek as well.

"Of course I remember Rogue, _liebling, _I'm not _that _old." Sting rolled his eyes affectionately, kicking off his shoes and motioning for Natsu and Gray to come inside. He could see Natsu picking at his nails nervously, and even Gray looked hesitant.

"Oma, this is Natsu and Gray, my- my other partners." Sting's voice caught a bit but he recovered quickly, smiling reassuringly at the other two. Oma's face was carefully neutral as she looked up at Natsu and Gray, wiping her hands on her apron.

_"F-frohes Neues Jahr?"_ Natsu said hesitantly, looking at Oma's feet. Sting's heart swelled with pride – the words were mispronounced, but Natsu had figured them out on his own. Oma's face softened a bit, and she gave them both a smile.

"Happy New Year," she replied in English, reaching out to clasp both of their hands. The gesture was warm, but not as intimate as it had been with Rogue. "Come in, dinner's almost ready."

Sting squeezed Natsu's hand as they all made their way into the living room, and Natsu looked up at him shyly. "You're perfect," Sting said quietly, kissing Natsu's cheek as Natsu blushed.

The dining room table was piled with food – plates of beef, chicken and shrimp next to steaming broth; apples and bread with melted cheese; warm rolls that smelled like they were fresh from the oven.

"This is amazing," Natsu said enthusiastically as they ate, plate piled high with some of everything on the table. Sting watched Oma's reaction carefully – her smile was warmer than it had been at first, and he started to relax.

"So, you work with Sting at the daycare?" Oma asked Natsu. Natsu nodded, swallowing his shrimp before answering.

"Yeah, he's with the babies and I'm in the toddler class next door, so we have activities together sometimes." He looked over at Sting, smiling softly. "The kids are a handful, but it's a lot of fun."

"Children are such a precious gift," Oma said, reaching over and taking Sting's hand, squeezing it gently. Her skin was soft and her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Sting has always been such a treasure."

Sting's cheeks flushed as he tried to hide behind his wine glass. Natsu ran his foot up Sting's calf under the table as he shoved a cheese-covered slice of apple into his mouth.

"All the girls at bingo always say how sweet he is," Oma continued, either ignoring or oblivious to Sting's embarrassment. "Their grandsons don't visit nearly as often."

"Omaaa," Sting said softly, ducking his head. "It's… of course I visit."

"He's always been so sensitive and kind," Oma continued over Sting's protests. "Always bringing home injured birds, or giving his toys to the other children. His kindergarten teacher said he cried too often, but he just has such a kind heart."

"He really does," Natsu said, brushing his toes over Sting's foot as Sting hid behind his hands. "All the kids love him, he's the one they all go to when they hurt themselves so he can kiss it better."

Sting's cheeks turned pinker and a red flush reached his ears as he took another gulp of his wine.

"Rogue, tell Oma about your photography project," he said hurriedly. "Rogue's got stuff up at the café now. It's- they're really good."

The rest of the meal was spent talking about everyone's jobs, although Oma would often return to her gentle praise of Sting, and the other three would agree with her enthusiastically. Natsu and Gray both offered to clear the table and do the dishes, and by the time they all settled down in the living room, Oma had pulled out the baby book and was eagerly showing them photos of Sting as a toddler.

"Oma, nobody wants to see those," Sting complained, covering his face. Nastu sat next to him, hovering his arm behind Sting and hesitating. Sting leaned back into it, nodding slightly.

"Yes, we do," Gray argued, sitting down hesitantly next to Oma. She smiled warmly at him, gesturing to the book.

"This was Sting's first day of kindergarten," she said, voice filled with pride. She gestured to a blurry photo of a chubby, blonde boy proudly holding a Transformers backpack with a wide smile on his face that was missing several teeth.

"Babe, you're adorable," Gray said, looking over at Sting and grinning. Natsu ran his fingers up and down Sting's back, drawing out some of the embarrassment with the familiar affectionate gesture.

Sting eventually gave in, letting Oma regale the other three with stories from his childhood. The longer the night went on, the more open and friendlier Oma became, until they were all sitting around laughing as if they'd known each other forever.

"Do you play?" Gray asked at one point, gesturing to the old piano sitting in the corner of the room. The top was covered with lace doilies under china figurines, and a folder of faded sheet music was tucked under one of them.

"Oh, no," Oma said, smiling and shaking her head. "Christof – my husband – played many years ago, but I never learned. I keep it tuned hoping that one day Sting will play for me."

"Oma, the clarinet traumatized me enough in elementary school," Sting said, leaning against Natsu.

Gray stood up, walking over to the piano and running his hand over the music. "Do you mind?" he asked Oma, and her eyes brightened as he took a seat, pushing back the cover and tapping one of the keys hesitantly.

"I haven't played in a while," Gray admitted, flipping through the sheet music and settling on something. He arranged it on the stand, reading it over once before starting to play.

Sting watched Oma's face transform as Gray's fingers moved over the keys, hesitantly picking out a familiar melody and gradually becoming more confident. Her eyes softened, and Sting could feel himself in her memories – six years old and dancing on her feet while Opa played in the background.

A pang hit Sting as he recalled their evenings together after mama and papa had passed away, where Oma would coax Sting out of his room with cookies and the sound of Opa's music. When he'd start to cry, Oma would scoop him into her arms and spin around the room with him, teaching him the words to the songs and telling him how much his papa had loved dancing when he was little.

"Dance with me, Oma," Sting said suddenly, standing up and reaching out a hand to her. She looked up at him with a wide smile and let him pull her to her feet as Natsu nudged the coffee table out of the way.

"It's been a long time since you've danced with me, _liebling," _Oma said quietly as the music changed to a familiar waltz. Sting laughed, taking Oma's hand and stepping with her in time to the song, just like they had all those years ago. "You remember this song?"

"How could I forget?" Sting said, feeling tears well up in his eyes as the familiar notes of 'Till We Meet Again' filled the room. _"Smile the while you kiss me sad adieu," _he sang softly, guiding Oma gently through a spin. _"When the clouds roll by, I'll come to you."_

"It always reminded me of your parents," Oma said, smile turning wistful as they continued to dance. She glanced over to Gray, whose fingers were flying across the keys now as Rogue turned the pages for him.

With each new song, Sting felt nostalgia wash over him in waves. It hurt at first, hearing the familiar songs and expecting to see Opa sitting at the piano bench, but the smile on Oma's face as Gray worked his way through the music brought a sense of calm to the longing. Sting eventually sat down and nudged Natsu up to take his place, ignoring Natsu's protests.

"You need to teach this one how to dance!" Oma said as Natsu stepped on her foot for the fifth time. Before Natsu could apologize, Oma patted his cheek and smiled, then turned and mock-whispered to Sting – "You put up with the bad dancing because he is cute, yes?" Natsu and Sting both turned pink while Rogue laughed from his seat on the edge of the piano bench.

It was nearly one in the morning by the time Gray made it through all of Opa's music, as well as some other songs he had memorized. They spent another hour losing to Oma at Dominos before Rogue finally started yawning.

"Take your boys home," Oma said affectionately to Sting, gesturing for all of them to grab their things as she pulled Natsu into the kitchen to help her pack up leftovers.

At the front door, Oma smiled and reached out to each of them, pulling them in for a quick hug and peck on the cheek before finally turning to Sting.

_"Danke, Oma," _Sting said, tugging on his jacket. "_Ich hab dich lieb." _

"I love you, too," Oma said softly, squeezing Sting's hands. Then, she stood on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss to Sting's cheek, whispering quietly, "they are all lovely young men, and you deserve all the happiness they give you."


End file.
